Post by Administrator on Aug 27, 2008 11:19:14 GMT -5
I saw this post on another forum and thought everyone might like to check it out.
The PW50 Routine.
Pre-ride and post ride checks:
1. CHECK: Fuel level – as long as you can see that it has at least 1/3 of a tank you are ok
2. CHECK: Fuel petthingy – check that it is on – on is in the horizontal position (labeled ‘O’) – only turn it off when it is in the van.
3. CHECK: Oil injection tank – you should have about 1 inch of oil in the tank
4. CHECK: The rear axle nut – 19mm – on the right side of the bike to make sure it is tight – you will have to hold the rear brake to tighten it
5. CHECK: Throttle operation – open and shut the throttle 5 times quickly – it should operate smoothly and close with a sharp ‘snap’ sound. If it returns very slowly, the grip may have been pushed against the inside of the handlebars by falling over on the right side – loosen the two Phillips screws under the kill switch and slide the entire throttle assembly 1/8” towards the ‘end’ of the bars. If the throttle is ‘crunchy’ there is probably dirt in the oil pump – get help! If it doesn’t stick and you can’t get someone to clean the oil pump, tell Kyle to deal with it. Make sure the throttle cable is all the way in the throttle housing on the bars.
6. CHECK: That the ‘run/start/off’ switch works – the bike shouldn’t rev in ‘start’ – they will check this after the race – if it doesn’t work properly there is a white plastic connector behind the number plate that could have come undone and one near the petthingy that could have come undone.
7. Make sure the tires aren’t flat – they should have about 10psi of pressure.
8. PRE-RACE: Make sure the bike will rev and ‘clean-out’ at least 30min prior to the moto. If it bogs and refuses to rev – try flipping the choke up (the on position) if the bike will rev with the choke on there is probably dirt in the carb – get help!
9. AT THE LINE: Choose a gate with a shallow rut and straight line to the first turn. Look all the way to the first turn and walk up and check while he is in staging and the previous race is on the line – if it is muddy or raining, sometimes the gates at the very edge of the track will allow him to ride in the grass all the way to the first turn. Find dry dirt wherever you have to and use it to fill in the rut behind the gate as high as possible. It is against the rules to work in front of the gate. Talk to Kyle a lot and tell him positive things. Remind him to stand late into the corners and not follow. Pay a lot of attention to him and be his friend – he gets nervous at the big races. Start the bike and begin to clean it out as the checkered falls in the previous moto if you can see it – the key is to clean it out one last time when the ‘two’ is up. After you clean it out the last time, I always tell Kyle ‘paddle like crazy and go get a hole-shot!’ really loud.
10. DURING THE RACE: This is very important for Kyle to know – if the thing dies like it is running out of gas, he should look immediately flip the choke up, then look down to see if the gas is on. If the bike runs ‘ok, but not great’ with the choke on, he should keep going – if it gets worse after a lap try turning the choke back off. This should not be a problem and should only be resorted to if the bike dies or loses almost all power while on the track
11. COMING OFF THE TRACK: Listen to the bike – if it was muddy or really hot and you hear loud knocking and rattling, shut it off immediately! The bike has partially seized. If Kyle hears it do this during the race, he should turn the choke on and it will usually finish. If it does seize – let it cool off totally – you can cool it with water, then try and run it again – it may run good enough to race, but you need to run it long enough to get hot – try to find a field for him to ride it in. If it really is seized and refuses to run at all there is an option - try to have someone put the entire engine from the practice bike in the new bike.
12. CLEANING THE BIKE: After practice and each moto make sure you clean the mud off of all of the fins on the cylinder and head – a screwdriver works well for this – otherwise the bike can overheat. Also make sure to clean the wheels and tires of mud very well – this adds weight to ‘rotating mass’ and will slow acceleration. If you use a pressure washer, concentrate only on the cylinder and wheel areas. If you are going to pressure wash, wash the bike asap after the moto or practice in order to let the ‘start/run/off’ switch dry out – the bike WILL NOT run worth a hoot when those switches are wet, but will run fine when they dry out – a good thing to do is just cover the throttle housing with a rag or bag when washing the bike and try to not go overboard with the pressure washer – get the wheels and the cylinder clean, and try to stay away from the carb and handlebars.
13. AFTER WASHING: Check everything you checked above. Leaving the gas turned on, loosen (do not remove) the carb drain screw at the bottom of the carb, and let some gas drain out for about 10 seconds – this will let water and dirt out of the carburator.
14. AFTER SATURDAY: If it was at all dry or dusty, change the air filter. If not, just leave it alone. To change the air filter, use a 10mm socket or wrench to remove the seat and fender. Then use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the air box cover. Replace the dirty filter with a clean one, being sure to get the new filter over the little pins around the edge before you replace the air box cover. Make sure the air box cover screw is tight before replacing the seat. Again, unless it is pretty dusty, I would just leave the air filter alone.
15. ALL DAY: Focus on the positive. Go crazy when he does something good. Have fun. Motivate. Ask him to show you how fast he can ride a PW. Ask him to remember what Jim Chester told him to do (don’t get specific). Tell him you love him no matter what place he finishes and make a big deal out of all the good things he does. Tell him how proud of him you are – make him drink a lot and eat some bananas.
Good luck!!!
The PW50 Routine.
Pre-ride and post ride checks:
1. CHECK: Fuel level – as long as you can see that it has at least 1/3 of a tank you are ok
2. CHECK: Fuel petthingy – check that it is on – on is in the horizontal position (labeled ‘O’) – only turn it off when it is in the van.
3. CHECK: Oil injection tank – you should have about 1 inch of oil in the tank
4. CHECK: The rear axle nut – 19mm – on the right side of the bike to make sure it is tight – you will have to hold the rear brake to tighten it
5. CHECK: Throttle operation – open and shut the throttle 5 times quickly – it should operate smoothly and close with a sharp ‘snap’ sound. If it returns very slowly, the grip may have been pushed against the inside of the handlebars by falling over on the right side – loosen the two Phillips screws under the kill switch and slide the entire throttle assembly 1/8” towards the ‘end’ of the bars. If the throttle is ‘crunchy’ there is probably dirt in the oil pump – get help! If it doesn’t stick and you can’t get someone to clean the oil pump, tell Kyle to deal with it. Make sure the throttle cable is all the way in the throttle housing on the bars.
6. CHECK: That the ‘run/start/off’ switch works – the bike shouldn’t rev in ‘start’ – they will check this after the race – if it doesn’t work properly there is a white plastic connector behind the number plate that could have come undone and one near the petthingy that could have come undone.
7. Make sure the tires aren’t flat – they should have about 10psi of pressure.
8. PRE-RACE: Make sure the bike will rev and ‘clean-out’ at least 30min prior to the moto. If it bogs and refuses to rev – try flipping the choke up (the on position) if the bike will rev with the choke on there is probably dirt in the carb – get help!
9. AT THE LINE: Choose a gate with a shallow rut and straight line to the first turn. Look all the way to the first turn and walk up and check while he is in staging and the previous race is on the line – if it is muddy or raining, sometimes the gates at the very edge of the track will allow him to ride in the grass all the way to the first turn. Find dry dirt wherever you have to and use it to fill in the rut behind the gate as high as possible. It is against the rules to work in front of the gate. Talk to Kyle a lot and tell him positive things. Remind him to stand late into the corners and not follow. Pay a lot of attention to him and be his friend – he gets nervous at the big races. Start the bike and begin to clean it out as the checkered falls in the previous moto if you can see it – the key is to clean it out one last time when the ‘two’ is up. After you clean it out the last time, I always tell Kyle ‘paddle like crazy and go get a hole-shot!’ really loud.
10. DURING THE RACE: This is very important for Kyle to know – if the thing dies like it is running out of gas, he should look immediately flip the choke up, then look down to see if the gas is on. If the bike runs ‘ok, but not great’ with the choke on, he should keep going – if it gets worse after a lap try turning the choke back off. This should not be a problem and should only be resorted to if the bike dies or loses almost all power while on the track
11. COMING OFF THE TRACK: Listen to the bike – if it was muddy or really hot and you hear loud knocking and rattling, shut it off immediately! The bike has partially seized. If Kyle hears it do this during the race, he should turn the choke on and it will usually finish. If it does seize – let it cool off totally – you can cool it with water, then try and run it again – it may run good enough to race, but you need to run it long enough to get hot – try to find a field for him to ride it in. If it really is seized and refuses to run at all there is an option - try to have someone put the entire engine from the practice bike in the new bike.
12. CLEANING THE BIKE: After practice and each moto make sure you clean the mud off of all of the fins on the cylinder and head – a screwdriver works well for this – otherwise the bike can overheat. Also make sure to clean the wheels and tires of mud very well – this adds weight to ‘rotating mass’ and will slow acceleration. If you use a pressure washer, concentrate only on the cylinder and wheel areas. If you are going to pressure wash, wash the bike asap after the moto or practice in order to let the ‘start/run/off’ switch dry out – the bike WILL NOT run worth a hoot when those switches are wet, but will run fine when they dry out – a good thing to do is just cover the throttle housing with a rag or bag when washing the bike and try to not go overboard with the pressure washer – get the wheels and the cylinder clean, and try to stay away from the carb and handlebars.
13. AFTER WASHING: Check everything you checked above. Leaving the gas turned on, loosen (do not remove) the carb drain screw at the bottom of the carb, and let some gas drain out for about 10 seconds – this will let water and dirt out of the carburator.
14. AFTER SATURDAY: If it was at all dry or dusty, change the air filter. If not, just leave it alone. To change the air filter, use a 10mm socket or wrench to remove the seat and fender. Then use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the air box cover. Replace the dirty filter with a clean one, being sure to get the new filter over the little pins around the edge before you replace the air box cover. Make sure the air box cover screw is tight before replacing the seat. Again, unless it is pretty dusty, I would just leave the air filter alone.
15. ALL DAY: Focus on the positive. Go crazy when he does something good. Have fun. Motivate. Ask him to show you how fast he can ride a PW. Ask him to remember what Jim Chester told him to do (don’t get specific). Tell him you love him no matter what place he finishes and make a big deal out of all the good things he does. Tell him how proud of him you are – make him drink a lot and eat some bananas.
Good luck!!!
